Brush cleaning device for generally vertical surfaces



Oct. 29, 1963 E. JONES 3,103,301

BRUSH CLEANING DEVICE FOR GENERALLY VERTICAL SURFACES Filed Aug. 2, 1960I V 67 ,a/ /9 m /5 mm' F100 40 E- 5 l 3 45 45 rw/j/ IN V EN TOR.

I; 0Y0 E: clbA/ss United States Patent BRUSH CLEANHJG DEVHCE FQRGENERALLY VERTICAL SURFACES Lloyd E. Jones, Arcadia, Calif., assignor toindustrial Brush fiornpany, Arcadia, Calif., a corporation of QaliforniaFiled Aug. 2, 1960, Ser. No. 46,982 3 Claims. (Qt. 15-77) This inventionrelates to a surface treating device for washing, cleaning, or otherwiseperforming an operation or treatment on a generally vertical surface ofa wall, member, or the like in a novel manner. The invention isparticularly directed to a portable lightweight power operated brushdevice for cleaning a highway guard rail.

One construction of a highway guard rail widely used throughout thecountry is that which includes a plurality of spaced supporting postsinterconnected at a suitable height above ground level with a continuousstrip of metal which is usually painted with a suitable light reflectingcoating in order that the guard rail will be clearly observed during theday and will become readily visible at night in the light beams ofheadlights of approaching vehicles. The metal strip may be of differentconfiguration and shape, such as convex, W section, zig-Zag section orother suitable structural section adapted for resisting impact, impedingprogress of a vehicle, and deflecting the vehicle back onto the highway.Heretofore such guard rails were cleaned by crews of men manuallywashing the reflective coating or paint on the surface of the guard railwhich faced the highway and such manual cleaning, washing, and scrubbingof the highway guard rail was not only tedious, time consuming, but alsohighly expensrve.

This invention contemplates a portable, readily movable device wherebysuch highway guard rails may be readily treated, washed, and cleanedwith a minimum of labor and in a very rapid, effective and eflicientmanner. The present invention is embodied in a. device which may besupported from and carried by the guard rail and which carries motormeans for rotating a pair of brush rolls. The manner in which the deviceis supported and the brush means are driven enables an operator to washand scrub the surface of the guard rail thoroughly and completely whilethe device is advanced along the guard rail at a walk. The inventioncontemplates such a device wheremeans are provided for readilytransporting the device from one section of guard rail to anothersection which may be located across the highway or in spaced relation tothe section of guard rail just washed. It will be understood from thefollowing description that the invention contemplates that other meansmay be substituted for the brush rolls for treating the surface of aguard rail or other generally vertical surface to be treated. By way ofexample, such other means may include painting rolls supplied with paintunder pressure, abrasive rolls for removing surface coatings, Waxingrolls, and the like.

The primary object of this invention, therefore, is to disclose andprovide a surface treating device for treating, brushing, washing, andcleaning generally vertical surfaces in a novel, eflicient manner.

An object of the invention is to disclose and provide a cleaning devicefor a generally vertical strip-like surface of considerable length, suchas a highway guard rail.

Another object of this invention is to disclose and provide a device forwashing generally vertical surfaces in a novel manner wherein the deviceis supported or suspended from the member or structure as a guard railhaving the surface to be treated, washed, or cleaned.

A further object of this invention is to disclose and provide a deviceof the character stated above wherein the device is supported in such amanner that gravitalhlfldfihl Patented 0st. 29, 1963 tional'forces areused to urge the brush means carried by the device into selectedpressure contact with the surface being cleaned.

A still further object of this invention is to disclose and provide asurface treating device adapted to be supported by means located at orclosely adjacent to the surface being cleaned, and wherein means areprovided for selective adjustment of the pressure engagement of thedevice with the surface being cleaned.

More specifically, the invention contemplates a portable, relativelylight-weight surface treating device comprising a housing having aworking side with an opening through which a pair of oppositelyrotatable brush rolls may project for engagement with the surface beingcleaned. Means for supporting the device are provided in spaced relationto said working side face of the housing means whereby a force couple isprovided which tends to urge the brush rolls into pressure engagementwith the surface being cleaned. Motor means are carried by the housingfor driving the brush rolls therein in opposite directions so thatcleaning fluid applied to the surface to be cleaned will be temporarilycaptured and retained within the housing and will serve to maintain thebrush rolls in wet condition as the device is advanced along the surfacebeing cleaned. Means are carried by the housing for adjusting theposition of the brush rolls with respect to the surface being cleaned soas to compensate for brush wear and to provide proper pressureengagement of the brush rolls with the surface being cleaned.

These and many other objects of this invention will be readily apparentfrom the following description of the drawings, in which an exemplaryembodiment of this invention is shown.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a device embodying this invention supportedfrom a highway guard rail of convex configuration, a portion of the railbeing taken away.

PEG. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the device shown in FIG. 1, the end view beingtaken from the plane indicated by line Hl-'I I=I of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the drive means for rotating the brushrolls.

In the embodiment of this invention shown in FIGS. 1-3, a devicegenerally indicated at fl is shown supported from a highway guard railll. of convex section and having a convex highway-facing surface 12which may be coated with a light-reflecting material or substance suchaswhite paint, various paint compositions, or other suitable reflectantmaterial. The guard rail 11 is supported along its length bylongitudinally spaced posts (not shown) positioned in the ground atsuitable intervals. The guard rail ii is supported usually by suitablenuts and bolts (not shown) from the highway side vof such posts. The topedge 13 of such a guard rail 11 is virtually continuous and free frompost interference throughout the length of the guard rail.

The device it? may comprise a suitable rectangular open frame means 15which may include end frame members 16 and 17, a bottom frame member 18and a top frame member 19, said frame members 16, 17, 1S and 19 beinginterconnected at their ends as by welding so as to provide a rigidrectangular frame structure. The members 315, 17, 13 and I) may be ofany suitable structural section illustrated here as of channel section.

A housing means 26 made of suitable light weight metal sheet or metalplate may be carried by the frame means 15 and may include a bottom wall21 supported from the bottom frame member 18, a back wall 22, end walls23 and 24-, and a top cover 25 supported on the top frame member 19. Thehousing means 24? provides a brush roll chamber 2d having a side workingopening 27' facing the guard rail surface 12. The top cover 25 may beextended beyond the opening 27 as at 28 so as to project over the topedge of the guard rai ii. The housing may be attached to the frame meansin any suitable manner, as by nut and bolt assemblies, spot welding andthe like.

Within the chamber 26 formed :by the housing means 29 may be mounted apair of brush means or brush rolls 39, said brush rolls 3-3 beingmounted on shafts 31 disposed in spaced parallel relation and mounted insuitable well-known journal means carried by the top and bottom framemembers 19 and 18. In this example the brush rolls are each of spoolshape and are provided with a configured or convex peripheral portioncorresponding in curvature to the convex surface 12 of the guard rail11. At opposite ends, each brush roll 38 may be provided with endcylindrical portions 33. is best shown in FIG. 3 the peripheral portions32, 33 of the brush rolls 30 project beyond the opening 27. The spacebetween the working side face of the housing from opening 27 to theconvex surface 12 of the guard rail may be referred to as a workingzone. The brush rolls may be of any suitable brush construction and mayinclude bristles of natural materials, synthetic bristle composition,soft or still bristles, metal bristles, or the like depending upon thepurpose for which the device is to be used.

Means to rotate the brush rolls 3-9 may include a motor means 35 carriedat the top of housing 2%? and supported on a plate extension 36connected with the top frame member 15 The motor means 35 may be anysuitable relatively small, light-weight, gasoline driven motor, and mayinclude a carburetor 37 carried by the motor housing and a gas supplytank 33 supported from the plate extension 36. The motor means 35 mayinclude a motor shaft 39, which may carry at its bottom end a drive gear4% in meshed engagement with a gear 41 carried by a jack shaft 42 uponwhich may be supported a pair of spaced sprockets 43 and 44. Sprocket 43may be connected by a chain 45 to a brush roll sprocket 46 carried on anextension of the brush roll shaft 31. Sprocket 44 may be connect-ed by achain 4-7 to a sprocket 48 carried on the extension of the shaft 31 ofthe adjacent brush roll. The drive chain 4-7 may be crossed so that ifthe direction of rotation of the motor is considered counterclockwise(as viewed from the top) the brush roll 30 adjacent to the motor will bedriven in a counterclockwise direction while the remote brush roll 30will be rotated in a clockwise direction. The drive means for the brushrolls may be provided any selected gear ratio so that a selectedperipheral speed of the brush rolls may be attained and so that eachbrush roll 30 is rotating at approximately the same revolutions perminute.

To facilitate portability and movement of the device 19 when notsupported on a guard rail, the frame means 15 may be provided withforwardly-extending brackets 50 which may support axle 51 of a frontwheel 52. At the opposite end or rear of device 10 a pair of handles 53and 54 may be secured as by welding adjacent the top of frame means 15.Each handle 53 and 54 may comprise an elongated piece of tubular barstock or any other suitable stock from which a handle of selected lengthmay be made. Handle 53 extends parallel to the frame means 15 and to theworking zone. Handle projects from the frame means 15 at an angle and indiverging relation to handle 53 so as to provide suitable space betweenends of handles 53 and 54 for convenient grasping thereof by theoperator. In order to maintain the device 10 upright on the ground whenit is not held by the operator a leg 55 of angle section may be securedto frame end member 16 in angular relation therewith so that the pointsof contact of the wheel 52. and the bottom end of the leg 55 may be insufficient lateral spaced relation to provide lateral stability so thatthe device will not tip or fall.

Means to support the device it) from a guard rail 11 and out of contactwith the ground surface may comprise a pair of longitudinally spacedsupport wheels 53 mounted for free rotation on axles 59 supported inpairs of parallel forwardly and rearwardly projecting brackets 60 and 61respectively. The brackets 6t; and 61 are secured to the top portions ofend frame members 16 and 17 in any suitable well-known manner as bywelding. It may be noted from FIG. 3 that axles 59 project from the sideworking face of the housing 26 a distance such that the plane of theWheels 53 lies approximately in a plane lying parallel to the brush rollshafts 31 and tangent to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portions33 of the brush rolls. The rolling tread or circumference of each wheel58 may be generally l-shaped, as at 62, and provides an enlargedoutboard flange 63.

When the device llfi is mounted on the top edge of the rail 11 in suchmanner that the top edge is received in the \l-shaped configuration 62of the wheels 58, it will be noted that the center of gravity of deviceit} which lies approximately between parallel planes passed throughbrush roll axes 31 and motor shaft 39, will provide a force coupleacting about the top edge I13 of the rail 11 tending to turn the device19 downwardly and inwardly toward surface 12 of the rail 11. Means toposition the device It) so that the peripheral portions 32 of the brushrolls will properly engage the convex surface of the guard rail maycomprise a pair of longitudinally spaced positioning rollers 65 adaptedto rollingly engage, as at 66, lower surface portions of the convex face12 of the guard rail (HQ. 3). Each roller 65 may be carried by a yoke 67secured to an arm 68 pivoted at 69 to the respective end frame member 16and 17. Arm 68 may be provided with a transverse slot 70 and a threadednut and bolt assembly 71 carried by the end frame member may be receivedin said slot 70 so as to permit pivotal movement of the arm 68 about itspivot 69 to cause the rollers 65 to be adjustably positioned withrespect to the side working face 27 of the housing means. It will bereadily seen that adjustment of the arm 68 will either advance orretract the roller 65 and such advancement and retraction will cause theperipheral portions of the brush rolls 36 to press against the convexsurface being cleaned to a greater or less extent.

In operation of the device vll), it will be understood that the devicemay be moved to the location of the guard rail by Wheeling it on frontwheel 52 and guiding it by the handles 53 and 54. When it is placedalongside a guide rail the device 10 is of sufficiently light weightthat the operator can raise the device 10 so as to place the supportwheels 58 in engagement with the top edge of the guard rail 11. Upondoing so the device will automatically position itself with respect tothe surface 12, as determined by the position of positioning rollers 66which engage a portion of face 12 adjacent the bottom edge. The device10 is thus suspended or hung from the top edge of the guard rail 11.-Virtually the entire device is supported at one side of the guard railand only the flange 63 and a portion of the brush rolls extends *eyondor to the back side of the guard rail The motor 35 may be started andthe two brush rolls 30 will revolve in counter-revolution. Since bothrotate at approximately the same rate there will be no tendency of thebrush rolls in their contact with the guard rail to rapidly advance orrapidly move the device 19 in either a forward or a rearward direction.As a result, the operator has direct control over movement of the deviceon the rail and may simply push the device along the rail at a normalwalking rate. When the operator stops, the device will also be stoppedand will not travel along the rail under its own power.

Means for spraying a liquid cleaning or washing solution such as adetergent, soap or the like, upon the surface of the guard rail in frontof the device 10 is generally indicated by a spray nozzle 75. Suchcleaning solution may be supplied from a tank truck having means forintroducing such detergent, soap or other cleaning fluid to a stream ofWater which is directed by nozzle 75 against the surface 12 of the guardrail. If desired, the nozzle '75 may be carried by the device and aportion of the solution may be directed against the leading brush rollto thoroughly wet the same. As the device advances over the wet surface12 the brushes scrub the surface, the solution is caused by the leadbrush roll 30 to be thrown against the trailing brush roll '30 and sprayof the solution thrown from said brush rolls in their rotation isdirected against the back wall of the housing 20. The trailing brushroll is moistened or wet by spray thrown from the leading brush roll andtends to further scrub the surface 12 as it passes over the areas justpreviously scrubbed by the leading brush roll. As the operator passesthe scrubbed portions of surface 12 the tank truck may provide a rinsingstream of water from nozzle 76 to the scrubbed surface 12.

It will be readily apparent that the brush rolls 30 may be slightlyvaried in their rate of revolution so that the leading brush roll isrotated at a slightly greater speed than the trailing brush roll so thatthe amount of pushing force required by the operator to advance thedevice 11} may be somewhat reduced. It will also be understood that anysubstantial difference in the rate of rotation of the two brush rollswill produce instability in the device and will make the devicedifiicult to control as it is advanced along the guard rail 12.

As the brush rolls wear, the positioning rollers 65 may be adjusted sothat the surface of the brush roll is always in desired pressure contactwith the guard rail surface 12. Moisture collected in the housing may bedrained therefrom by the provision of suitable openings (not shown) inthe bottom wall 2 1 of the housing.

It will be understood that the concave configuration of the brush rollsmay be modified in order to correspond to the configuration of othersections of guard rail. For example, a guard rail may be of a W section,in which case the brush rolls may be so configured so as to providecleaning of the W section in a manner such that proper brush pressurecould be uniformly applied throughout the width of the W section guardrail. In the event guard rail supports or posts of such other sectionguard rails interfere with continuous rolling passage of the device 10,the device 10 may be simply and conveniently lifted past suchobstructions. In some instances it may be desirable to mount the device10 from a motor-driven vehicle which may be driven alongside the guardrail. In this event suitable alignment devices (not shown) may beprovided for maintaining the proper brush pressure, and the supportwheels 58 will serve to properly guide and align the device along therail while at the same time partially supporting the device from therail.

It will also be understood that the invention contemplates that thebrush rolls may be removed and pressure-fed painting rolls may 'besubstituted therefor so that such a configured guard rail may be paintedby a device embodying the function and operation of this invention.

It will also be understood that the invention contemplates the use ofother means in place of the brush rolls exemplarily illustrated, as forexample pressure fed paint rollers, abrasive rolls or drums for removalof surface coatings, wax applicators, and other devices which may treat,prepare or finish a generally vertical surface.

Other modifications and changes may be made within the spirit of thisinvention, and all such changes and modifications coming within thescope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

I claim:

1. In a highway guard rail washing device for use on a guard rail havinga top edge and a highway-facing surface, the combination of: a framemeans generally vertically disposed and having a side working faceadapted to face the surface of said guard rail; a pair of brush rollsmounted for opposite rotation about parallel axes spaced from said sideworking face, said brush rolls having peripheral portions extendingbeyond said side working face and being configured to correspond to thecurvature of said guard rail surface; means to rotate the brush rollsincluding a motor means carried by the frame means; and means on theframe means to support the pair of brush rolls in operative contact withsaid guard rail surface, said support means comprising a pair of supportwheel rollab le along the top edge of the guard nail, and a pair ofpositioning wheels rollably engaged with said guard rail surface inspaced relation to the engagement of said pair of support wheels.

2. In a washing device as stated in claim 1 including adjustment meansfor said positioning wheels for compensating for wear of said brushrolls.

3. In a highway guard rail cleaning device for use on a guard railhaving a top free edge and a surface extending downwardly from said topedge, the combination of: a housing means provided with a chamber andwith an opening at one side thereof; a pair of brush rolls mounted forrotation with their axes within said chamber and having peripheralportions extending through said opening for contact with said surface onsaid guard rail; and means for supporting and positioning said housingmeans with the brush rolls in operative contact with said guard railsurface, said support means including a pair of wheels rollinglyengageable with the top edge of the guard rail and a pair of positioningwheels rollably engageable with a portion of the surface of said guardrail spaced from said top edge. I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS750,307 Russel Jan. 26, 1904 849,777 Freestate Apr. 9, 1907 1,647,499Bly Nov. 1, 1927 1,901,908 Hoyos Mar. 21, 1933 2,015,768 Thompson Oct.1, 1935 2,098,262 Temple Nov. 9, 1937 2,102,537 Kahn Dec. 14, 19372,118,276 Temple May 24, 1938 2,543,348 Briese Feb. 27, 1951 2,823,398Curran Feb. 18, 1958

3. IN A HIGHWAY GUARD RAIL CLEANING DEVICE FOR USE ON A GUARD RAILHAVING A TOP FREE EDGE AND A SURFACE EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID TOPEDGE, THE COMBINATION OF: A HOUSING MEANS PROVIDED WITH A CHAMBER ANDWITH AN OPENING AT ONE SIDE THEREOF; A PAIR OF BURSH ROLLS MOUNTED FORROTATION WITH THEIR AXES WITHIN SAID CHAMBER AND HAVING PERIPHERALPORTIONS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING FOR CONTACT WITH SAID SURFACE ONSAID GUARD RAIL; AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND POSITIONING SAID HOUSINGMEANS WITH THE BRUSH ROLLS IN OPERATIVE CONTACT WITH SAID GUARD RAILSURFACE, SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF WHEELS ROLLINGLYENGAGEABLE WITH THE TOP EDGE OF THE GUARD RAIL AND A PAIR OF POSITIONINGWHEELS ROLLABLY ENGAGEABLE WITH A PORTION OF THE SURFACE OF SAID GUARDRAIL SPACED FROM SAID TOP EDGE.